My friends this is the last “Cliff’s Notes” for the summer. It’s summer! I will be at all of our camps this summer (Wesley Acres, Arlington Beach, Maple Grove, Pine Orchard and Severn Bridge), and I hope to see you there. With the losses of an Annual Conference, and Aldersgate College, many years ago, we lost as a movement a ‘centre’, or gathering places. Camps give us that kind of shared gathering space. Camps can be a place of spiritual refreshment and FMCiC community building. Camps are places of shared meals, campfire talks, worship, learning, playing and laughing. Pray for our camps, and maybe take in a service or two.
I wonder how you will tick off some of these boxes this summer. These boxes are indicators of health, and summer is a good time to pay attention to your health:
- My Spiritual Health: How would you describe the current state of your spiritual journey? Are your devotional times consistent, meaningful, and fresh? What would you like to be true about your walk with Jesus? Is your faith strong? Consider the following in your planning:
- Disciplines / means of grace
- Consider paying for a Spiritual Director
- Connect with past and present mentors and invite them to speak into your life
- Journal
- Silence: actually, this is quite important – build in a time of silent retreat and regular times of silence. Journal during and then about these times
- Something different in ministry from what you usually do, that will challenge your faith (i.e. a mission trip, or committing to a mission trip).
- My Emotional Health: What would you say is the state of your emotional health? How are you relationally? Do you feel tired, bored, alone or stuck in any of your life situations or relationships? Write about “fear” – what do you fear? Consider the following in your planning:
- Counsellor / mentor – ask difficult reflective questions about character, relationships, etc;
- Marriage: counselor, retreat, week-long getaway;
- Find old trusted friends who have participated or observed your spiritual journey – reflect with them about what they remember and notice (i.e. if you are struggling with the same things that you struggled with 10 years ago then why??). Invite them to be Godly-honest and tell more than just 80% of the truth about you!
- My Academic Health: “Reason”, “think”, “consider”, “meditate” are all Scriptural mandates. We are created to use our minds to their fullest capacity. Do you? Do you meditate (fill your mind with truth)? Do you form ideas and then allow them to be scrutinized, challenged or sharpened? Do something in order to work up an academic sweat! What books will you read? Will you write? Will you study? Ask trusted friends to each recommend a book for you to read (leadership, theology, biography and fiction)
- My Physical Health: Describe your physical health: any health conditions? Health goals? What’s your diet like? Do you exercise? Begin to develop a physical health regime prior to beginning your sabbatical. Create a daily schedule including exercise and diet. Find someone to help you develop a rigorous plan.
- Do you need a personal trainer? Even for a few sessions?
- Is there a sport or athletic activity that you have always wanted to try but haven’t found time? Sign up for a team!
- My Creative Health: We are created to have sanctified imaginations, yet routines, busy-ness, tiredness, sin, ministry even can make dull our imaginations. We stop dreaming. We also are created to create, to love art, to be moved by beauty, to be passionate about creation but again life can get in the way. Write about what you dream about. If you won the lottery what would you do with it? Do you believe that you fully tap into your creativity? Explore creativity in your time of rest – and be brave and try something new:
- Take a photography class or art class;
- Visit an art gallery;
- Draw, paint, dance, sing, write, sculpt…
- Find a beautiful nature place and worship God for an extended time there.
- Meditate on Scripture.
- What About Adventure: What is on your bucket list? Camping, hiking, travelling, jump out of a plane (though I think that is a stupid idea!)… You were created to explore and discover – do you? What keeps you from adventure, or from trying new things? Be brave and plan an adventure…
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN
2nd Tuesday of each month: What’s Got You Thinking?
4th Thursday of each month: Church Health Thursday
https://vimeo.com/702077871
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rev. Nathaniel Prakash (Lead Pastor-Surrey FMC, Surrey, BC) – approved for ordination (service date TBA)
ORDINATION SERVICES
Date and time TBA – Nathaniel Prakash – Surrey FMC, Surrey, BC
FOUNDATIONAL COURSES https://fmcic.ca/
Register online through the link above (Tuition payment is not required when registering for a course. Payment is due 10 days before the course begins.)
Lay Ministers tracking for credentialed ministry and those transferring ordination credentials into the FMCIC need to take the following two courses for full credit – and if possible, the Heart course first and then Wesleyan Theology.
Heart of Canadian Free Methodism:
November 4-6, 2022, – location TBA*
Wesleyan Theology:
November 4-6, 2022, – location TBA*
Also available:
- Tyndale University: https://www.tyndale.ca/seminary/course/theo-0629
- FMC-USA http://fmcusa.org/leadership/courses/
- as a 7-week intensive online course: Wesleyan Theology [#74W] Dr. Robert Vaughan – start dates: Jul 26, Sep 13, Nov 1
- as a correspondence course (8 months to complete): Wesleyan Theology (#74C), Dr. Allen Wachter
Ministerial Candidates tracking for Commissioned or Ordained Minister are required to take the following two courses for full credit. Those who are already commissioned or ordained are required to either audit these two courses for 1 Continuing Education Unit (CEU) each or take the two courses and complete the assignments for 3 CEUs each.
Culture and the Missional Church:
Date and location TBA*
Personal and Church Stewardship:
5-week online course – Start Date TBA
(* These course locations are selected based on where the majority of the participants reside – so please register early!)
2022 SCHOLARSHIPS https://fmcic.ca/scholarships/
LEADERSHIP SCHOLARSHIP PLAN (LSP):
The Leadership Scholarship Plan (LSP) provides financial assistance to candidates who are studying to meet the educational requirements for credentialed ministry, or for members of conference pursuing continuing education.
October 15 is the deadline to apply for LSP for any courses taken during the summer and/or fall semesters of 2022. The 2022 application forms and instructions are now available to download from the link above. Please use the application forms marked “rev 2022.”
SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIPS:
The Special Scholarships provide financial assistance to those who are members of a Free Methodist church pursuing post-secondary education to grow in their Christian faith, to those who are pursuing credentialed ministry, and to members of conference pursuing continuing education.
October 15 is the deadline to apply for the annual Special Scholarships for courses taken during the 2022 calendar year – apply online anytime from the link above. Special Scholarships are awarded in late November/early December each year.
CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS (CEUs) https://fmcic.ca/
Ordained and Commissioned Ministers (except retirees) are to annually report hours acquired during each year for Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Check the link above for information on CEUs, and a list of examples of many different types of life-long learning that can be applied as CEUs.
You can now send a report online anytime you have hours to submit for CEUs. Here is the link: https://fmcic.wufoo.com/forms/continuing-education-unit-ceu-report-form/
Note: For those who attend the fall Minister’s Conferences or the spring Regional Gatherings, attendance is now taken at these events so 6 hours of CEU credit for each event will automatically be recorded.
For those who took courses and/or did in-depth research and learning about how to make the changes required during the pandemic (ie how to live-stream services), add the number of those hours to your annual CEU report.
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CHURCHES IN TRANSITION
Interviewing
Hamilton, ON – Rymal Road Community Church
Harrowsmith, ON – Harrowsmith FMC
New Westminster, BC – First FMC
Sarnia, ON – New Horizons Community Church
Thornbury, ON – Blue Mountain Community Church
Warkworth, ON – Warkworth FMC
Church Profiles available
Contact Davika Dotson in the Leadership Development Office to request a church profile – davika.dotson@fmcic.ca (deadline to apply in brackets)
Salmon Arm BC – Lakeside Community Church (full time) [Aug 2]
Preparing Profiles
If you are interested in seeing the profile for any of these churches, please contact Davika in the Leadership Development Office [see above] and the profile will be emailed to you as soon as it becomes available.
Bracebridge, ON – New Hope FMC
Campbellford, ON – Campbellford FMC
Cloyne, ON – Pineview FMC
Dunnville, ON – Dunnville FMC (Rev. Neale Robb – Interim Pastor)
Frankford, ON – Frankford Community Church
Hilton Beach – St. Joseph Island FMC (Rev. David Griggs – Interim Pastor)
Richmond Hill, ON – Richmond Hill Chinese & English FM Churches (Rev. Louis Leung – Interim Pastor)
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Associate Pastor of Youth & Outreach – Trulls Road FMC
Communications Content Developer – FMCiC Ministry Centre
Office Administrator – Arlington Woods FMC
*NEW Chief Operating Officer (COO) – nightlight Canada
Tearfund has a number of current openings for interns and students. You can access their list of available positions here.
